Manuel Neuer

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Neuer started his career at Schalke 04 where he won the DFB-Pokal and DFL-Ligapokal, and was appointed club captain in 2010. In 2011, he signed for Bayern Munich and has since won 32 trophies, including a record eleven Bundesliga titles, multiple domestic titles and two UEFA Champions League titles in 2013 and 2020, both as part of trebles, being the only goalkeeper in history to achieve the European treble twice, additionally winning the second as club captain. In 2014, Neuer finished third in the voting for the FIFA Ballon d'Or award behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He was awarded the Best European Goalkeeper four times, and the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper a joint-record five times, alongside Gianluigi Buffon and Iker Casillas. He was also named the Best FIFA Goalkeeper in 2020.

In Their Own Story

On 25 April 2012, during the Champions League semi-final second leg against Real Madrid, the Allianz Arena witnessed a masterclass in preparation. Facing penalty takers Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká, Neuer relied on specific intelligence provided by goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalović. Before the match, he studied footage showing that Ronaldo preferred to send the ball low to his left. When the shoot-out arrived, Neuer was convinced of Ronaldo's intention and saved the attempt. He repeated this feat later in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, saving the decisive penalty on 30 August to win the match. These moments defined his career: a goalkeeper who did not merely react but dictated outcomes through foreknowledge. In 2014, after winning the World Cup with Germany and taking home the Golden Glove, Neuer finished third in the FIFA Ballon d'Or voting behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, cementing his status as a global icon.

Reader's Guide

Neuer has set numerous records, especially in the Bundesliga, the major league in German football. He has the most clean sheets recorded in the competition, with 224. He also holds the most clean sheets in a single season, with 21 in the 2015–16 campaign. Furthermore, he was the fastest player to reach 100 Bundesliga clean sheets, doing so after only 183 appearances. Neuer is the only goalkeeper in Bundesliga history with more than 100 appearances to have conceded fewer goals than matches played. In international football he holds the record for the most appearances by a goalkeeper at the FIFA World Cup. A former Germany youth international, Neuer made his debut for the senior team in 2009, and was first-choice goalkeeper for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Four years later, Neuer won the 2014 tournament with Germany as well as the Golden Glove award for being the best goalkeeper in the tournament, and was named in its All-Star Team and Dream Team. Serving as captain from 2017 to 2023, he also represented his country at the World Cups in 2018, 2022, and 2026 as well as at the UEFA European Championships in 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024. Neuer is the fifth-most capped German international of all time, and holds the team's record for most appearances at European Championships and at international tournaments.

Did You Know?

• Neuer made his Bundesliga debut with Schalke when he came on as a substitute for the injured Frank Rost on matchday 2 of the 2006–07 season.
• On 5 March 2008, in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League against Porto, he saved penalties from Bruno Alves and Lisandro López to help Schalke advance to the quarter-finals.
• Neuer transferred to Bayern Munich on 1 June 2011 and signed a five-year contract.
• In the 2012 UEFA Champions League Final against Chelsea, Neuer took and scored the third penalty for Bayern and saved the first penalty taken by Juan Mata.
• Neuer is the only goalkeeper in history to achieve the European treble twice.